RED_DRAGON_85

well, on my way home from taking my final in my PLC class, i hit a bunch of traffic. its the typical highway traffic where you stop, wait, get going about 45-50 mph for 10 seconds then stop again and repeat.
anyway, i come to a stop, but the guy behind me in a GMC Denali didn't.
i saw him coming and took my foot off the brakes momentarily to try and lessen the blow, but it didn't help much. he was going about 35-40. i heard about half a second of screeching tires so he didn't do much slowing down.

the whole back of the car is pushed forwards and down by about 2"
there is a definite crease in the middle of the wheel wells, and the back of the rear tires are literally millimeters away from rubbing.

i got his insurance info and the police wrote him a ticket and all that, so now its just a waiting game to see if the body shop decided to total the car.
hopefully not.
im really hoping this can be fixed, as its my only car, and i need it on a daily basis.

anyway, here are the pics.
they are deceiving though. it doesn't look all that bad from the pics, but my doors aren't shutting right, and my hood even looks to be sitting crooked from the front of the car.

RED_DRAGON_85

one more

Mudskunk

that bites. back around 88/89ish i hit a telephone pole at 55mph, fell asleep. cost 9.5k to fix vehicle value was 10.5k. frame had to be straightened. it was a 87 t-top red formula. insurance companies value autos at blue book bb value on 20yr old 3rdges is at best 2.5-3.5kish. typically if anything like that happens they total it and issue salvage title if you decide to keep it. it can prolly be repaired but your gonna have to tote most of the cost yourself.

krzyz

it dont look too bad. did u get a chance to look under the car to see any other damage.

RED_DRAGON_85

i didnt look underneath, but like i said, the wheel wells are within a few mm of touching the tires in the back, and the quarters are tweaked pretty bad.
if i can get 3500 for it, i would be impressed. i tried to sell it earlier when the trans went out, and the highest offer i got with a new trans was 2000
im going to go out on a limb and say that i have one of the top 5 thirdgens in the area. in other words, most thirdgens around here are rusty and falling apart.

i really dont want to get rid of the car, so hopefully it doesnt come to that.
the good news is that i survived.
my neck is starting to bother me, so i will probably go to see a doctor tomorrow.
still waiting for the insurance.
the guy has "selective way" insurance, which ive never heard of.
apparently its primarily a small business insurance company for people who own a small business... hopefully thats not a bad thing

KNBlazer

I think they will total it... my advice to you is if they do total it, perhaps get the check and get yourself another 3rd gen or salvage it get a check and make it into a project car... I think the best fix would be to weld that 3rd of the car from a non collision vehicle...

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Even if you straightened out the rear quarter, the doors and hood arent lining up anymore - it's tweaked. I'd let them total it and get all you can, then buy it back and move everything to a new shell if you have a lot invested into it.

Or just move on to a different ride altogether. Sucks, but I dont see you being able to fix that easily. Looks like it was a beautiful car. This is why I dont drive mine nearly as much as I used to.

t-top havoc

iTrader: (3)

RED_DRAGON_85

Sorry about the ____ that hit you!!
Do you know if he was cell-phoning? It's been made illegal here!!

Glad you didn't taste the steeringwheel!!

Best of luck!!!

Skyset

Glad to hear you're ok. But yeah...get a quote from that body shop to see how much it'll be. The insurance company will likely write it off.

GTA50

That really sucks. As said above, the car will probably be written off. The reason, the insurance companies look at repair costs versus salvage recovery (i.e parting out).

So, unless you have some sentimental attachment........let it go and find another. If you do decide to keep the car, tell your insurance company that you want to consider the repair option (you will probably have to pay the in and out towing charges to the body shop of your choice) and get an estimate on frame straightening (if you are able, the rest of the repairs you would do yourself or as time and budget allows for a shop to do). Then look at what you will be given for "buy back" and "fix yourself". I don't know how that affects title in the US.

The final option would be to find another thirdgen (as mentioned above), but to keep your current car for parts.

toolegit86

get the check... buy ur car back and get another shell. build it!! most insurance companys give u the option.

88 5.7 Iroc-Z

im surprised nothing really broke on it, besides the paint chipping on the bumber, I would expect the hatch to shatter, broken spoiler/tail lights, but it seems the sheetmetal took most of the impact, sorry to hear about the car man, try to save it if possible cuz it would be a shame to see another Iroc end up in a junk yard, especially one as nice as yours

RED_DRAGON_85

thats the first thing i thought too.
i was amazed the glass didnt shatter or anything.
the thing that saved the tail lights and glass was that he had tow hooks, that basically took all the force and transferred it into the bumper low down. we didnt really even swap much paint. i have like 2 scuff marks but thats it...
his tow hooks also saved him from any damage at all. (or so it seems)
so, note to self. when buying a truck or SUV, GET BIG HONKING TOW HOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they mount directly to the frame, and are designed to pull whatever the truck can pull, each.
they took all the force of the impact and put it into his frame, whereas my bumper transferred all the energy into the body and sheet metal.


anyway, ive spoken to the body shop and he "estimates" that its going to be more than 4500 but not more than 5000, as long as i dont go crazy with wanting it to look perfect. ie, no full body respray, just a simple blend from the glass back.
of course this was just two guys talking, nothing official.
tomorrow i will hopefully be speaking with his insurance adjuster.

if they do write the car off and give me a check, i'd love to buy it back and part it.
ive got $850 in tires on the car that are literally 1 month old. new trans, clean interior, and more importantly, 100% complete interior.

the question is weather i can afford to be "out" the wrecked value until i sell all the parts. i will need to buy another car to get back and forth to work and school daily.
im looking at about a 20 min commute daily so i need transportation more than a shiny car

KNBlazer

Get yourself a bike in the meantime... better yet, get yourself a 10 speed bike you'll get there quicker...

Mudskunk

meh get a under 1k beater till you get your baby back in service then sell the beater. when my 87 formula got totaled by my brother they let us keep the crumpled mess. he got hit by a semi doing 45mph. brother was racing the green semi was racing the yellow. my formula ended up in the shape of the letter C. got the vehicle value and car.

just tell em you want the money you will repair it on your own. they shouldnt have an issue. then slap a cover on it buy a beater save up till you can get her back in shape or part into another car.

Shadow Z

iTrader: (2)

Yeah man, them 10 speeds are better than these dumb old 6 speed bikes. No one wants to be bothered with a 6 speed bike, like this:

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

The body is 99% tweaked/bent. I Would buy a good roller and swap all the good parts over, or part it and use the parting money plus the insurance for a better one. It sucks, but unless you want to take it to a shop to get the body straight, its up to you.

'87IROCZOWNER69

iTrader: (1)

Your lucky it wasnt worse because if the glass had shattered you could have got it in the arm or the back. But it is a good thing these third gens are built like tanks. I got rearended a few months ago (three cars involved total) some guy rearended the guy behind me who then hit me. First guy had a bent hood and smashed bumper and the next one had the grill fall off, dented bumper, and cracked headlight covers. All I got was some scuffing on the back bumper which is only noticeable from like 5 feet.

mh82camaro

that sucks dude....hope it works out for you....

Camaro-454

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear about your accident but glad that it wasn't worse and that you survived the encounter. As was stated above, check under neath the car to look for any hidden damage that might not be as apparrant at first glance. See what the frame looks like and see what the damage actually did. Start from the point of impact and work towards the door.

It really doesn't look bad from the pictures like it's been said, but there can always be hidden damage that's not so noticable to the naked eye unless you're trained what to look for. Look for things like the frame being bent, parts moved closer to each other, brackets that have become shore apart or disconnected, or even just slightly moved to the side or front a bit. If you do see tht the frame is bent. there are some " Old School Tricks " for straightening and pulling a frame back into shape using a sturdy tree and some strong chains. For example, to straighten out the back of your bumper, ( to pull it back out and up ), try attaching a chain to a part of the frame underneath, use a padlock to lock it in place, wrap the other end around a strong tree, get into your car and put it in drive and with your foot on the brakes just let the car coast forward until the chain is completely straight. Have a friend watching and have him stop you at the point, then give the car just a little bit of gas, ( don't gun it just very gentle pressure on the gas pedal like you are just astarting out of youre driveway or just pulling off from a curve ). This applies gentle but firm even pressure on the chain, and as your friend watches from the side, he can see ( as you might increase pressing down ( slowly ), on the gas pedal ), the car being pulled back into shape slowly straightening out the frame. You can then release the gas pedal, and back up a smidge, put the car in park and takew a look to see how much you have pulled it back into place. Do this a few times until you see some noticable difference or when it seems to be back in place. ( You may be surprised just how well this works if you taken your time are are careful doing this. Who needs a frame straightening machine when you can do this yourself for free? ).

For cars with bumpers ( for an example let's say your front bumper ), that have been pushed in, ( or even pulled out. Now this may not apply here but just for your information I'm giving you the particulars just for your knowledge ), you still use a strong tree to do all the corrective work. Let's say your bumper has been pulled out. You just drive the car up to the tree, placing the pulled out bumper up directly against the tree, ( have your friend help you to position it correctly where you need to be ), then very slowly give it some gas. This will push the offending bumper back in place. Again check your progress here and there so you dont go in too far, but these are little tricks that can be used to do some corrective body/frame work, and they can save you a lot of money in the process as they are done for free. It's just
one way you could go. Do what works for you.

Lastly, as it's already been suggested, buy the car back if they total it. You know what you've invested in your car, and it's complete. You have every part you need if you want to buy yourself another donor car, and swap whatever you need to get yours back up to specs. Then you just sell off what you don't need and you're still in the running.

Lastly, get yourself checked out by a doctor. You may be able to get some money out of your pain and suffering as well and you'll be under a doctors care on your road to recovery.

Wishing you all the best in all your endeavors and may truely God Bless you and yours Bro.

Camaro-454

Brock Lee

They most certainly could straighten the body out in a couple hours on the rack. The biggest money would be fixing any creases and the paint work. You could go through all that and end up with residual problems. I have seen similar cars develop issues with alignment as the body is straight, but other components are just slightly out of whack. I would take the money buy another.

CamaroIROC88350

iTrader: (1)

First I'm sorry your car is probably totaled. I'd be freaking angry if that happened to me.

2nd, I'm glad you're okay. Safety is always first and most important even though we love our cars alot!

3rd, why didn't the Denali driver stop in time? I know he was at fault and ticketed but was he blabbing on a phone? Was he remorseful for messing up your nice ride?

4th, you'll probably get a check around $3k to $3,500k. Sometimes adjusters who look at cars like ours feel bad for you and write you more just because. That's what happened last year to me when a Hummer hit my car parked. The adjuster liked IROC's alot and he had a Foxbody. So he understood the pain of fixing a nice looking older car. So he wrote me a $1,900 check for what was really $600 damage.

Good luck, let us know what happens.

88 5.7 Iroc-Z

dude, have the body shop quote you for straightening the body only, the paint and other stuff do yourself just so that the insurance doesn't total your car

RED_DRAGON_85

well i meant to post this earlier, but they totalled it.
repairs were 2900 and they valued the car at 3000. not sure why thats totalled, but w/e.

they gave me the option to buy the car back.
i dont have time to part it or rebuild it, but i figured i would ask on here.
does anyone in VA want to come get the car?
it can be yours for $450.
engine, trans, interior, sound system, ect...
they are all still perfectly intact.
145 cluster works perfectly.
all the IROC specific suspension parts are there, as are the IROC wheels.

new BFG gforce sport tires with 99% tread left. i got them last month.
if your interested let me know by thursday.
price is negotiable, but i would rather not have it crushed.
its an iroc, and there are only so many left.

i would prefer a text if you want it, so that i can answer it at work. no internet there lol.
start it with TGO, then inquire about the car.
(number removed)

edit:
car is gone, sold it to the body shop.
maybe ill buy it back... haha. that would be funny.

godreject

iTrader: (1)

for 450 i would have kept the car, then later on when time allowed sold the parts of to TG members, what are your intents getting another 3rd gen

88 5.7 Iroc-Z

dude buy the car back!!! you can make the 400 just from the tires and wheels, post the good parts it has and Im positive you will sell alot of them

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

I'd almost be tempted to pay $400 and drive up to get hte tires/wheels myself.

Save it man.

RED_DRAGON_85

well like i said, its gone, but its going to be restored.
anyway, im now playing for the other team... no not like that. i bought an f-250.